First things first – we are delighted to announce the birth of Annie Atkins new baby boy Stanley Mark Atkins born Saturday 19th September! Mother and baby are both doing well - and looking forward to getting to know each other over the next few months.

In the meantime I hope to be carrying on Annie’s good work and supporting the many and various current projects run by the PM! Team. My first day was spent on Ullswater with the Lake District National Park Design Programme (tough job!) enjoying some late summer sunshine and viewing a temporary public art installation “Fleur de Sel” with a crew of planning committee members, planners and designers including the Chief Executive of the National Park Richard Leafe.

The importance of design quality in such a beautiful setting cannot be overstated, but  I could not help comparing the quality of the public areas along the lakeside with that I had seen recently on Lake Lugano in Italy (see image below). I hope the programme will persuade decision makers in the National Park to be more bold and demanding and that our designers can rise to the challenge. Man made his marks on the landscape of the Lakes centuries ago that are now considered to be of world heritage importance. We should not be afraid that our more modest contemporary interventions will detract from the beauty of the area - we should just demand that they are a fitting legacy of our era - and just as special as the setting they are placed in.

Alison Grant
Places Matter! Business Manager